Ford urges ‘ambitious’ Brexit deal

Ford has warned that its UK operations could be threatened if the government fails to agree a ‘very ambitious’ Brexit deal, or at least to secure a transitional agreement until negotiations had been concluded.

Speaking at the Future of the Car conference in London, Jim Farley, Ford president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said it was critical that negotiations ensured that nothing would hamper the movement of products across borders and between plants.

He said, ‘We really believe in a transitional period — that if an agreement isn’t done, at least there’s a transitional period. This should happen if the details aren’t hammered out in time before Brexit. It’s critical for the future of our investments in the UK. Brexit is incredibly important and we expect Britain and the EU to have a very ambitious agreement. Equally important are agreements with places like Turkey and South Africa. Customs union is critical and zero-tariff deals are really critical.’